Leica Camera will honor Bruce Davidson with the Leica Hall of Fame Award 2018 on June 15th. First given in 2011, this award highlights exceptional photographers for their contributions to the world of photography.
Bruce Davidson’s photography has been featured in some of the most important reportages and documentary records, which have showcased everyday life in the United States. Some of his most well-known works include “Brooklyn Gang”, “East 100th Street”, “Subway” and the story of Jimmy Armstrong, the dwarf-clown of the Beatty circus.
More photography books from Bruce Davidson can be found here.
Press release:
USA New York City 1959 Brooklyn Gang Coney Island Cathey fixing her hair in a cigarette machine mirror
An accolade for an exceptional photographer whose work has changed the world and touched hearts everywhere
May 16, 2018 – On June 15, 2018, Leica Camera will honor Bruce Davidson for his photographic work with the Leica Hall of Fame Award. This award, first given in 2011, shares the tradition of earlier awards instituted by Leica Camera and honors exceptional photographers for their contributions to the world of photography and invaluable services to the Leica brand. In his honor, a selection of pictures from his extensive portfolio will be shown in an exhibition at the Leica Gallery in Wetlzar, Germany that will be open to the public from June 15th until September 9th, 2018.
Bruce Davidson’s photography has been featured in some of the most important reportages and documentary records, which have showcased everyday life in the United States. Some of his most well-known works include “Brooklyn Gang”, “East 100th Street”, “Subway” and the story of Jimmy Armstrong, the dwarf-clown of the Beatty circus. Bruce Davidson is an amazingly accomplished photojournalist who set out to capture moments and subjects well beyond the surface level – his sensitive portrait series provide startling insights into worlds otherwise closed to the viewer’s eyes.
“Viewers past and present are inescapably drawn to the mixture of intimacy and detachment, curiosity and nonchalance, documentation and compassion, and his uniquely personal view of the world. Even so, the secrets of his pictures are still not revealed in all their facets. It is possible that precisely this is the decisive reason why we revisit his evocative images, time and time again. With the Leica Hall of Fame Award, we are now honouring Bruce Davidson for his lifework and his untiring and equally outstanding engagement as a photographer,” explains Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director & Chief Representative Leica Galleries International.
Those who have previously received the Leica Hall of Fame Award include Steve McCurry, Barbara Klemm, Nick Út, René Burri, Thomas Hoepker, Ara Güler, Joel Meyerowitz and Gianni Berengo Gardin.
Beginning his passion for photography at the age of ten, Bruce Davidson can look back on more than seven decades of life as a photographer. In 1954, he bought his first Leica M and by 1958, he became the youngest ever associate at Magnum. Only one year later, he became a full member of the agency. His interest in life and a keen eye for his surroundings formed the basis for his exceptional photography, while, for him, trust and respect remain the essential and necessary constants that distinguish him as a leading representative of a genre of photography that symbolizes humanism.
Davidson’s importance as a historian is particularly shown in his pictures of the American Civil Rights Movement that characterize his work from the 1960s. For someone who grew up in the peaceful Midwest, and lived in the much more progressive city of New York, the violent clashes came as a shock. His work became increasingly political with the personal experience he gathered on his frequent travels and on reportage assignments. The historical value of his pictures is incalculable, but it was some time before their importance became clear. It was not until 2002 that a comprehensive collection titled “Time of Change: Civil Rights Photography 1961-1965” was published in book form and documented his experience.
